Burglars smashed their way into four businesses in Chicago's Chatham neighborhood overnight, including the nearly 50-year-old Soul Veg City, where security video captured two masked men spending less than two minutes inside before fleeing with an empty cash drawer and a couple slices of cake. The break-ins also hit a beauty shop and a cleaners on the same block, according to owners and officials.
Security footage from Soul Veg City showed two men wearing black clothing, masks, and latex gloves breaking the restaurant's front window and climbing inside, according to ABC7 Chicago. A third suspect was apparently waiting in a vehicle, according to the restaurant. The cash drawer they grabbed was empty, but the overnight hit was at least the fourth time the restaurant has been burglarized in the past couple of years, the station reported.
Soul Veg City traces its roots to 1981, when it opened as Original Soul Vegetarian. Prince Asiel Ben Israel owned the restaurant, making it one of the country's oldest Black-owned vegan soul food restaurants, according to CBS News. The restaurant is now run by his children, Lori Seay and Arel Seay, and the city honored Ben Israel in 2023 by designating a stretch of East 75th Street as Honorary Prince Asiel Ben Israel Way following his death, per Honorary Chicago. Seay urged those responsible to join the community instead of damaging local businesses, the station's report noted.
A Florist's First Break-In in 34 Years
A few doors down, florist W. Erskine Quicksey arrived at Flowers First around 5 a.m. shortly after burglars struck his shop, finding a damaged storefront window in what he said was the first break-in since he opened the business 34 years ago. He estimated the damage at nearly $1,000, even though the thieves got away with less than $100, per the same account.
Chicago Police said the Chatham break-ins are related to several recent similar burglaries in Bronzeville. On September 25, five businesses—Jet Star Food Mart, Sweet Drip Dessert Cafe, Sip & Savor, La Boulangerie & Co., and Jimmy John’s—were hit overnight in Bronzeville and Hyde Park. One group drove off in a black SUV, according to CBS Chicago.
Alderman Calls Emergency Meeting
6th Ward Alderman William Hall called the burglaries a disturbing pattern and an evil inconvenience, and he has called an emergency meeting for community business owners to discuss the recent break-ins, set for Wednesday morning at Soul Veg City, per ABC7's reporting.
The 75th Street corridor around the restaurant includes a two-block boardwalk known as Restaurant Row, according to the Greater Chatham Initiative. A $250,000 city grant and other donations have supported the boardwalk.
Walgreens' Chatham store at 86th Street and Cottage Grove Avenue was set to close for good on June 4, 2026, citing theft and violent incidents, according to CBS Chicago. Hall objected to the closure and said he wanted a conversation with CVS about possibly replacing the store.
Pattern of Break-Ins Stretches Back Years
This is not the first time Chatham's commercial corridor has drawn burglary crews. Hoodline reported a crash-and-grab in which four suspects rammed a Jeep into a Chatham gas station. A year earlier, in September 2025, police opened an investigation after two suspects smashed into and burglarized the landmark Garrett Popcorn Shop storefront in Chatham, with no arrests made immediately following that break-in.
Business owners along 75th Street continue expressing alarm over recurring overnight break-ins.
Community leaders have tried to counter the economic strain with grassroots support. In April, Hall co-hosted the Spend in the Black community initiative on 75th Street to support local merchants, building on an event that generated over $1 million for local storefronts the prior year, according to FOX 32 Chicago. The effort comes as merchants prepare for Wednesday's meeting at Soul Veg City.
